The Art of Tribute: Metallica emulation in the form of San Antonio act, So What

The Art of Tribute: Metallica emulation in the form of

San Antonio act, So What

So What performs at Bond's rock bar on Saturday, January 29th 2017

Art. What is it to you? Being that this is my first blog post on my art blog, I thought that I would challenge myself. I've never seen tribute or cover bands as an art. I've never understood the appeal of a group of musicians standing on stage and singing their favorite band's music to a crowd of other fans alike. I also don't consider myself a Metallica fan so when it came to seeing not only a tribute band but a Metallica one, I was to say the least, challenged at the idea. My plan was to go in, talk to member of the band, snap a few shots, and walk out and enjoy my night elsewhere. I ended up staying much longer than anticipated. Why, you ask? I don't know if it was the pure energy from the fans and packed house or the legit performance by San Antonio act, So What, but whatever it was certainly changed my mind about what I thought about tribute bands in terms of art. 

There always seems to be this confusion between what exactly is a tribute band as opposed to a cover band, one that seems to have differing opinions. I have heard anything from "tribute bands are only for bands who can no longer perform due to a member being deceased" to "tribute bands perform music from bands they love in their own style". I had a long conversation with drummer of So What, Vince Reyna and asked him what he thought. "Cover bands are bands that will play a song in whatever style they feel comfortable playing, such as an electropop band playing a heavy metal song, or a folk singer covering industrial music. A cover band also just learns the songs as basic as possible. A tribute band will learn all the nuances and tiny bits of a specific band. in So What, we are a Metallica tribute so we learn the songs as close the way they perform them as possible to give tribute to their performance". This interesting perspective definitely gives way to my next point to make. 



Is it art? Vince spoke to me about how he, himself learns both studio and live versions of music by Metallica. He says that this emulation of his heroes is no different from a small theatre production doing a play like "Phantom of the Opera" or "Little Shop of Horrors". Vince's point is exactly what changed my mind completely after this assignment. If a small theatre production can be considered the performing arts, why not tribute bands? They put just as much research into their parts as the musicians that they are playing the part of on stage just as any actor/ actress trying to perfect the rendition of a character would. This insight gives fascination to the idea that this performing art of tribute music has segwayed into an almost performance art classification. Vince spoke of how So What members, Eric Flores, Robert Fuentes, Justin Arreola, Mike Lopez, and himself (Vince Reyna) all emulate and play tribute to Metallica band members Kirk Hammett, James Hetfield, Cliff Burton, and Lars Ulrich on stage mimicking everything from movement and reactions to the audience to how they play their instruments on stage.

A toast to the audience by Robert Fuentes.

The audiences reaction to this has proven to be more than reassuring that their art is certainly being seen and appreciated. Vince speaks about how they have gone from an audience of 10 to packing a venue. "They (the fans) love Metallica as much as we do and we make that connection". This true joining of fans, young and old was very apparent in the extreme mix of audience members at their show this past Saturday. They even invited 15 year old singer of cover band, Violent Revenge, Caitlyn to join them on stage to pay tribute to Metallica in their rendition of the song "Fade to Black". After finding this new perspective on tribute bands, I definitely see how awesome it is to see a band pay tribute to your favorite band who perhaps you've never had the chance to see perform. Vince agrees with this and added that it also forms this bond between all fans in attendance of these shows.

So What invites Caitlyn from band, Violent Revenge to perform on stage at Bond's. 

I can definitely say that after this experience, I feel that my entire perspective on whether or not tribute bands are an art form has altered completely. This art form that has been around for decades is here to stay and I think it's awesome. And what does Metallica think about their tribute bands? I will end with the response that Metallica had for the recent reconciliation over the recent story of an overzealous attorney and his cease and desist letter to Metallica tribute band, Sandman. "Sandman should file the letter in the trash. Keep doing what you’re doing ... we totally support you!".

You can find So What on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/sowhatsanantonio/